Updates & Resources
My mission is to be a leading resource of financial planning and services for individuals, families and businesses. As part of my services, I am pleased to share some of the most relevant articles as well as lifestyle tips. Do feel free to contact me with any questions or remarks.
8/6/2021
How much insurance do you need? The Life Insurance Association published a 2017 report which sought to quantify Singapore’s mortality and protection gap. It quantified the total gap at $893 billion and found that while Singaporeans were covered for 80 per cent of their mortality protection needs, only 20 per cent of their critical illness (CI) protection needs were insured.
This study is a follow-up of an earlier study in 2012.
1/9/2020
This guide split into 4 parts provides a roadmap for rooting out negative beliefs about money and paying off consumer debt while putting your money to work for you instead of working for money.
27/8/2020
Living a good financial life is much the same as hiking. You have to understand where you are, figure out where you want to go, figure out how to get there, and understand ahead of time that there will be challenges and setbacks.
The first step toward a good financial life is understanding your current situation. This includes financial statements, net worth statements and what your current behaviours are. Getting crystal clear about your current reality will help you define what's possible and how you can achieve what you want out of life.
1/6/2020
Many Singaporeans do not have enough savings to allow them to maintain their current lifestyle beyond six months if they were to lose their jobs now. An OCBC survey conducted during the circuit breaker period found that around two-thirds of working Singaporeans and permanent residents had indicated that they did not have enough savings to last them beyond six months.
20/5/2020
A simple and easy to read slideshow of all the healthy foods we can eat to our heart's content!
5/2020
Starbucks has a major advantage in that it has already been through this situation once before. The company currently has more than 4,200 stores throughout mainland China, where the novel coronavirus was first identified. In China, the company says over 95 percent of these stores have now successfully reopened. Leveraging this experience, Johnson explains that Starbucks will continue to navigate the dynamic situation of this pandemic by making decisions based on three simple principles:
prioritizing the health and well-being of its partners and customers;
playing a constructive role in supporting health and government officials as they work to mitigate the spread of this virus; and
showing up in a positive and responsible way to serve its communities.
21/2/2020
You have to love what you do, that’s what people say. But that’s not necessarily true. What is true is that you have to love the opportunity—the opportunity to build life, future, health, success and fortune. Knocking on someone’s door may not be something you love to do, but you love the opportunity of what might be behind it.
2020
What is a money habit? It’s a sustainable, repeatable way for you to manage some aspect of your money. The money habits you keep – whether good or bad – can tell you a lot about your finances. You can see the results of your habits in your savings, earnings, and how much you invest. Children are ready to learn as early as age 3. Start with small habits like counting out dollars and coins, and work your way up from there.
2020
To help you determine the annual financial cost for the pursuit of a tertiary education, this table provides a comparison of the estimated tuition fee of some of the top universities around the world.
2020
Retirement is one of those inevitable phases of life, which marks the end of our careers that we have built over the years by acquiring skills and constant hard work. Assignments, deadlines, meetings etc. soon get replaced by holidays, pursuing new hobbies, and spending more time with family. While some people look forward to this relaxed and stress-free life post retirement, some get worried about the loss of a steady source of income. Retirement is a time when income drops and expenses rise. So, financial planning is required for leading a financially independent life even after retirement.
20/12/2019
Nearly half of affluent Singaporeans may not retire to the cosy lifestyle they had hoped for, a Standard Chartered Bank study found. Their savings were not diversified enough to deliver optimal returns, the bank said in its new Wealth Expectancy Report 2019. For two-fifths of Singapore's emerging affluent, saving for retirement remained a top financial goal.
15/12/2019
Financial freedom is about taking ownership of your finances. You have a dependable cashflow that allows you to live the life you want. You aren’t worrying about how you’ll pay your bills or sudden expenses. And you aren’t burdened with a pile of debt. It’s also about planning your long-term financial situation by actively saving for a rainy day or retirement.
2/8/2019
Rule number one for sticking to a healthy snacking plan = don’t get bored. But before you get bogged down by the intimidation factor of coming up with creative healthy snack recipes, check out these 19 super simple mini meals. Every easy, delicious recipe here makes the grade in terms of nutrition and imagination.
15/2/2019
It’s the little details that can make a major difference. You feel like you’ve really achieved something during a day that started out to be so minor. Little achievements are just as important as big achievements. Success is the constant process of working toward your goals, little achievement by little achievement. Little achievements produce big results. Anything is possible in those 24 hours we’re given each day.
4/1/2019
Your direction, activities and disciplines all make up crucial links in your chain of success. When you can see that one thing affects everything else, when you come to realize that every discipline affects every discipline, when you look at your future as a chain that needs strong links all along the way… then you’ll build a reservoir of strength and courage that will serve you will during the down times.
30/11/2018
Recurrence rates vary widely between cancer types, and within cancer types according to stage, histology, genetic factors, patient-related factors, and treatments. Many estimates of recurrence rates do not take into account newer treatment options, which is important to consider, particularly when new anticancer therapies are being continuously approved for multiple cancer types.
4/10/2018
Lifestyle means designing ways to live uniquely. It is a skill to be mastered, not a condition to be pursued. It is finding new ways to bring joy, pleasure, excitement and substance into our lives and into the lives of those we care for while we are working on our goals, not once we have achieved them. A more abundant existence does not necessarily mean a more enjoyable lifestyle.
26/6/2018
Topics like insurance, investing, student loans, taxes, estate planning, and credit aren’t always easy to understand.
Napkin Finance is a multimedia company that aims to break down complicated financial concepts through text, video, and illustrations.
Every explanation is simple enough to fit on a napkin.
15/11/2018
Singapore family businesses fall short when it comes to succession and mid-term planning. Only 8 per cent have a robust, formalised and communicated succession plan in place, compared with 12 per cent in the Asia-Pacific and 15 per cent globally; and 34 per cent have a costed, formalised and documented mid-term plan, versus 43 per cent in the Asia-Pacific and 49 per cent globally.
7/3/2017
The parable of the Chinese Bamboo Tree teaches us lessons about patience, faith, perseverance, growth and development and importantly, human potential. It is a perfect parable to our own experience with personal growth and change. Often, signs of progress are slow, frustrating and unrewarding at times. But it is worth it, especially if we can be patient and persistent.
24/7/2015
After the 2008 economic crisis, many people assumed they would never be able to reach true financial independence – the ability to live comfortably off one's savings and investments with no debt whatsoever. However, individuals willing to use their time horizon to plan and adjust their spending, savings and investment behaviors might just find financial independence is possible. Here are 10 ideas to get started.
19/3/2013
Anybody can write a will as long as they are well-informed. A will is a legal document that gives specific instructions for the distribution of your assets. If you do not have a will, the state can direct the distribution of your assets according to the Intestate Succession Act.